Abstract: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) recurrence rates remain high despite aggressive therapeutic intervention, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Recent studies suggest that circulating tumor cell re-seeding of primary tumors may enable recurrence rather than persistent tumor cells in the irradiated surgical bed. However, the role of the tissue microenvironment in recurrence is not well understood. In this talk, I will present our recent efforts in studying how irradiated cells in mammary tissue influence tumor cell recruitment. I will discuss our current 3D mammary organoid and extracellular matrix hydrogel models of radiation damage as well as the contribution of fibroblasts and adipocytes to radiation-induced recurrence. Our work represents an important step toward elucidating the impact of stromal cells to local recurrence following therapy in TNBC. Future studies will utilize these results to engineer improved in vitro tumor microenvironment models to probe the complex physical, chemical, and biological cues that promote TNBC recurrence and metastasis.

About the speaker: Dr. Marjan Rafat is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She has courtesy appointments in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Oncology and is a member of the Program in Cancer Biology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Breast Cancer Research Program at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Among other recognitions, she has received the NIH Pathway to Independence award, Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator award, Concern Foundation Conquer Cancer Now award, METAvivor Early Career Investigator award, and the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant. She received her PhD in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University and was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Before that, she received her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT. Dr. Rafat currently applies chemical and biomedical engineering concepts toward understanding the mechanisms driving breast cancer recurrence and metastasis. Her interdisciplinary laboratory at Vanderbilt University examines and models the tumor and tissue microenvironment. She has contributed over 40 peer-reviewed publications, 7 book chapters, and over 75 conference presentations and proceedings.